I'd Do Anything
by Kestrel4
Summary: A songfic. Yami writes Yugi a letter after, perhaps, too long.
1. Ch 1

I'd Do Anything  
  
by Kestrel  
  
Disclaimer: Ooh, if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh… but I don't, so no use in finishing that sentence.   
And the song is I'd Do Anything, by Simple Plan. I own Elaina, Mary Retger, and   
Exodia the enthusiastic cocker spaniel.  
  
Ch. 1  
  
Another day is going by  
I'm thinking about you all the time  
But you're out there and I'm here waiting  
And I wrote this letter in my head  
'cause so many things were left unsaid  
but now you're gone and I can't think straight  
  
This could be the one last chance to make you understand  
  
I'd do anything just to hold you in my arms  
to try to make you laugh  
'cause somehow I can't put you in the past  
I'd do anything just to fall asleep with you  
Will you remember me  
Because I know I won't forget you  
  
Together we broke all the rules  
Dreaming of dropping out of school  
And leave this place to never come back  
  
So now maybe after all these years  
If you miss me, have no fear  
I'll be here, I'll be waiting  
  
This could be the once last chance to make you understand  
And I just can't let you beat me once again  
  
I'd do anything just to hold you in my arms  
to try to make you laugh  
'cause somehow I can't put you in the past  
I'd do anything just to fall asleep with you  
Will you remember me  
Because I know I won't forget you  
  
I close my eyes  
And all I see is you  
I close my eyes  
I try to sleep; I can't forget you  
Na na na, na na na  
I'd do anything for you  
Na na na, na na na na  
  
I'd do anything just to hold you in my arms  
To try to make you laugh  
'cause somehow I can't put you in the past  
I'd do anything just to fall asleep with you  
To fall asleep with you  
With you  
yeah  
  
I'd do anything to fall asleep with you  
I'd do anything, there's nothing I won't do  
I'd do anything to fall asleep with you  
I'd do anything 'cause I know I won't forget you  
  
()()()()  
  
Don't worry, there is more to this fic than the song... 


	2. Ch 2

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Ch. 2

__

Another day is going by

I'm thinking about you all the time

But you're out there and I'm here waiting

Yami pushed his elbows into the fluffy pillow and sighed deeply. Or rather, he pushed Elaina's elbows into the pillow. He hadn't gotten used to his hikari being a girl. He doubted he ever would.

Rolling over, wincing slightly as his vessel's long hair snagged beneath her body, Yami stared at the shadows rippling on the ceiling. It was late afternoon, and the sun was beginning its journey downward past the horizon. Elaina loved sunsets, Yami recalled, and sat up so she could watch the shifting clouds. 

The scene outside her bedroom window really was beautiful, Yami realized for the first time. The rolling hills of this American farm Elaina and her parents owned split the setting rays of light into so many multi-colored gems. The spirit of the Millennium puzzle sighed once more. The sunset, in all its dark flaming hues, reminded him of Yugi's hair. 

Everything reminded him of Yugi these days. Perhaps it was the move, from the suburban city to this fascinating scape in the country. Elaina complained that it was too open. Yami was captivated by the lack of high-rise buildings and concrete pavement. He'd never seen a land so close to his homeland of Egypt.

_I could always imagine that the hills were sand dunes, and the trees pyramids, _Yami pondered. Elaina, from the open door of her soul room, giggled.

"This isn't Egypt, Yami," she murmured lovingly. He smiled back for her sake. 

"I can always imagine," he replied. He then closed the door to his soul room and maintained control of her body from in there. He wanted to pace the room, keeping his thoughts to himself. 

His thoughts of Yugi.

_How long has it been, aibou?_ Yami mused. _Sixteen years? Seventeen? I've lost count, aibou. Has it really been that long?_

The sun had nearly completed its trek downward, and was sinking behind the huge oak tree that Elaina loved to climb. Yami watched it in silence, and then decided to contact Yugi.

_I can't contact him mentally, like I used to,_ Yami sighed. _We aren't bonded anymore. _

"Elaina," he asked the girl, cracking open his soul door and striding across the hallway in their minds, "how would I contact someone in the real world?"

She turned in her chair, filing her nails.

"You mean Yugi?"

Yami started, then flushed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Is it really that obvious?"

She grinned. "Yep." Hopping up, she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. She then threw open one of the many cabinets that lined the walls. Stationary, stamps, colored pens and stickers lay inside, all in labeled shoe boxes. Elaina waved towards them with a flourish. "Write him a letter."

Yami, staring at the multitude of supplies, felt a silly grin spread itself across his face.

()()()()

See, I told you. Please review, even if you hated it. Flames are reviews. At least then I know someone read it. I'm actually quite proud of this story, though, so...


	3. Ch 3

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Ch. 3

__

And I wrote this letter in my head

'cause so many things were left unsaid

but now you're gone and I can't think straight

Elaina took control of her body to get ready for bed, but allowed Yami full access to her soul room in order for him to use the writing supplies. He had never seen so many fun things to play with in one location. Being Pharaoh, he'd grown up without play, toys, and fun.

He'd chosen a plain black pen—while in the body of a girl, he was still too dignified to write to his aibou in pink—and staionary with flames around the edges. He thought it suited him. Then Yami took gold embossing powder and embossed the eye of the Pharaoh on the top of every page. 

_I think Elaina's creative side is getting to me_, he thought, but smiled.

Dearest Yugi, he wrote, and crossed it out. 

__

I'm glad I'm writing this on plain paper first, the young game king thought ruefully. _It wouldn't do for me to ruin all of this flame stuff before I get a chance to use it._

Aibou—_No, he's not_. Another scribble. A frustrated sigh escaped Yami's lips. He ran his fingers through his hair. The hair reached past his waist. 

_Another thing I miss about being bonded with Yugi— my spikes._

He settled for 'Yugi—'. Skipping a couple of lines, he began the letter.

__

This could be the one last chance to make you understand

Yugi—

Have you ever seen an American sunset? I saw one the other night that was simply fantastic…

()()()()

WOOT! Cliffhanger. Sowwy. Review, onegai!!


	4. Ch 4

Ch. 4

Thirty-two year old Yugi Moto yawned. His class yammered around him, throwing paper balls at one another and basically wreaking havoc. And surprisingly, Yugi didn't care.

The bell rang. Yugi inwardly rejoiced.

"Class, make sure you have your projects in on Thursday, it's 10 points off for every day late."

Groans. The classroom emptied to the sounds of moaning about the unfairness of it all. Yugi smiled slightly. Teenagers.

_You were one once, _he reminded himself sternly._ You know how they feel._

That doesn't mean I should go any easier on them. I already extended the deadline a week, he retorted and silenced the inner voice.

Gathering his briefcase, laptop, and gradebook, Yugi made his way out of the classroom and down the stairs.

"Mr. Moto!"

Yugi turned, and a genuine smile broke upon his still youthful face at the sight of slightly plump Ms. Retger, the other English teacher. She hurried to catch up with him, flushed and a bit out of breath. He waited for her, and gently embraced her when she arrived.

She giggled like a schoolgirl. "Yugi Moto, since when did you hug your friends?"

Yugi laughed. "I don't know—I guess I'm just in a good mood today."

"Well," she said, pushing a strand of honey brown hair out of her laughing eyes, "if you get hungry this evening, pop on over. I'm getting creative and trying a chicken parmesan dish tonight."

Yugi's eyes lit up. "I'll be there with bells on, Mary!"

She laughed at his eagerness. "Men."

*****

Yugi's beat-up old green Toyota pickup rattled as he slid it into park. His driveway crunched under foot; he reminded himself for the umpteenth time to rake the autumn leaves that covered the pavement. Fumbling for his keys, he grabbed the mail and stuck it between his teeth to unlock the front door.

His enthusiastic cocker spaniel, Exodia, greeted him as he stumbled inside, nearly knocking him onto the terazzo floor. He reached down with his free hand to scratch her head. "Gook gur," he mumbled affectionately around the mail in his mouth. He took the offending letters out and hung his keys on their hook, ruffling the dog's ears again and repeating the phrase. "Good girl."

Yugi kicked off his polished brown loafers and undid his slightly tacky tie. With his collar up and his pants slightly lower from the removal of his belt, Yugi sank into his dingy recliner. He sighed and pushed his glasses up, rubbing his tired eyes. Exodia lept up and curled her sleek body under Yugi's arm. The man smiled and clicked on the soft light. 

He shuffled through the mail half-heartedly. "Bills… bills… junk… Duelist Monthly, didn't I cancel that?… bills, damnit, so many bills! Don't they know I'm on a teacher's pay and can_not_ afford to have my life sucked away by the IRS?"

The last letter in the stack was an interesting one, having been plastered by stamps of every shape and size. In minute handwriting, Yugi's address was displayed in the exact center of the envelope. The back flap was decorated by flames, and included a message: _I did not know how much postage was needed. I hope 'twas enough._ The envelope itself was black.

Yugi knew there was something familiar about the handwriting, but nothing could have prepared him for the shock he received when he opened the letter and skimmed to the signature. _Yami_.

"He-he wrote to me?" Yugi murmured, eyes widening in shock and delight. "I thought he was dead…"

He was quick to phone Ms. Retger and tell her that yes, he would be over later and to keep the chicken warm. Then he settled down once again with Exodia and slid his glasses down in front of his eyes. Smiling slightly at the Egyptian's sprawled script, Yugi began to read.

"Yugi-

"Have you ever seen an American sunset? I saw one the other night that was simply fantastic, with crimson and gold and even a hint of sapphire. Really, the ones in Japan don't do this justice. Even Egypt pales in comparison. 

"That sunset reminded me of you; more specifically, of your shockingly spiked hair. My current vessel, Elaina, has long straight hair, and I find myself missing the spikes. They were, as you used to say, incredibly fun."

I'd do anything just to hold you in my arms

to try to make you laugh

'cause somehow I can't put you in the past

I'd do anything just to fall asleep with you

Will you remember me

Because I know I won't forget you

Yugi found himself wiping away a tear that had threatened to roll down his bespectacled cheek. _He hasn't forgotten me… wait a minute, Elaina? His vessel is a woman?_

"Yes, Yugi, my vessel is a young lady named Elaina Sparks. She is sixteen years old and a duelist after my own heart, if I do say so myself. She learns quickly and has already beaten nearly every single duelist in her school. Under my tutelege, who knows how far she may go?

"The change wasn't easy to adapt to, I will tell you that. However, Elaina and I get along well enough. We still have our differences, mind you, but you should have seen the look on her young face when I told her about my duties as Pharaoh! She thought that ruling a country and getting to play shadow games would be wonderful. It was, I suppose, to a certain extent."

()()()()

Wow... long chappie... hope you liked! Review!


	5. Ch 5

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Another disclaimer for those vultures: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH AND I KNOW IT... although sometimes it makes me sad. *sniff*

Ch. 5

A/N: Time is messed up in this fic. When we are with Yugi, it is 3 days after Yami sent the letter. When we are with Yami, time is normal. Right now, it is the day after he sent the letter.

Yami fidgeted in his seat during Elaina's geometry class. She wanted to sleep, so he had agreed to take over. But his worry about the letter he'd sent Yugi showed through, and so far three people had asked 'Elaina' what was wrong.

One, a freckle-faced girl named Emili, had attributed the stress to something Yami didn't understand. Emili had called it a 'crush', but Yami didn't see how being crushed by a falling object had anything to do with stress. Perhaps it was fear of falling objects? At any rate, he didn't want to wake Elaina to ask her, so he just smiled at Emili and insisted that 'she' was fine.

But his mind kept playing over memories of Yugi, and wondering what the boy's—now man's—reaction would be to his confession.

*****

"I wrote this letter after so many years, not to chat about the everyday goings-on of my vessel, but to tell you something I've waited too long to confess. First, though, I'd like to tell you a story."

__

Together we broke all the rules

Dreaming of dropping out of school

And leave this place to never come back

"Do you remember when we first met? You were much younger then, and weaker too. Bullies would flock to your locker just to slam it in your face, to your street after school just to throw a couple of punches to your sweet jaw, to your classes just to rip your assignments and ruin your work."

Yugi clenched his fist slightly. Yes, he remembered…

__

"Moto!" Gonza Mutako snarled, slamming the small boy up against the wall. "where's my homework?"

"R-right here, Mut-tako-san!" Twelve-year-old Yugi whimpered, holding out the slightly crumpled paper. Gonza's eyes widened furiously. 

"It's ruined! I can't hand this trash in!" He slammed Yugi's small back to the wall again, harder this time. "Moto, you're going to do this again."

"But, Mutako-s-san…"

"What?!" Gonza yelled, backhanding Yugi across the face and drawing blood. "Don't you dare talk back to me, runt! You're doing it again, understand?!"

Yugi slid to the floor, utterly and completely broken. "H-hai, Mutako-san…"

With a sadistic grin, Gonza planted a kick to Yugi's fragile ribs. He laughed at Yugi's huff of pain, and left the boy lying there. Yugi's amethyst eyes widened as he tried to keep from crying.

Somehow he managed to get up and walk home, despite his hurts. On his way, to keep his mind from the pain, Yugi worked on solving the Milliennium puzzle his grandfather had given him.

"Maybe if I finish it, something magical will happen," Yugi mused.

He'd just slid the second to last piece into place when a snarling voice interrupted his exctited thoughts.

"Magical? 'Fraid not, shrimp."

Gonza stepped out from behind a tree beside the sidewalk, and was quick to grab the puzzle. He studied it with a greedy gleam in his eyes.

Surprisingly, Yugi felt no urge to protest. A slow, ugly hatred was coming to a boil within him. Suddenly and with surprising speed, he lept forward and slipped the puzzle from Gonza's grasp. Placing the cord around his neck, he felt the final piece click into place with a touch from his sure fingers.

"Help me!"

Gonza's fingers had grasped his slender throat when he felt the change. Yugi felt another, ancient presence deep inside him, and his hand shot forward seemingly of its own accord to tear Gonza's own hands from his neck. A rich voice snarled from his throat, searing Gonza's ears. 

"Touch me again and I will make you feel pain such as you have never imagined."

Gonza recovered quickly, striding forward and laughing. Yugi wasn't afraid. He let the new presence deal with the bully.

"What say we play a game, Gonza?" The tone of the voice was sardonic, challenging. Gonza was quick to accept, taking the tone as a shot to his ego.

"What kind of game, Moto?"

"It's a simple challenge, something even you should understand. We both draw a card from that deck in your belt. Whoever draws the more powerful card wins. Whoever loses, loses more than just the game."

Gonza was confident. He swaggered a bit as he came closer. "You forgetting this is my deck? No way you can fix it. No way you can win."

A hint of a grin touched the mysterious boy's lips. "We shall see." He was suddenly serious, seeming to glow with dark energy as he commanded, "Draw!"

Gonza whipped out his deck and slid the top card into his hand. "Ha!" He barked, showing it to his opponent. "Ha! Barrel Dragon! It has 2600 attack points!"

Yugi's hands shuffled the deck and drew the top card. Silently he showed it to the astonished bully.

Gonza's jaw dropped. "Wingweaver—2750… I'd forgotten I even had that in my deck…"

Seeing the dark flame in 'Yugi's' eyes, all color fled Gonza's face. "Shit…"

Yugi's hand came up in the bully's face, palm inches from Gonza's nose. "You have lost the game, therefore you will also lose the privelege of living in this realm! Mind crush!"

Gonza's scream was cut abruptly short as his body fell lifeless into pieces and vanished.

"What did I do?" Yugi asked, looking fearfully at his hands.

"You did nothing," the spirit answered. "I sent his mind to the Shadow realm. He will harm you no longer."

Yugi smiled, the first real smile he'd smiled in days. "Thank you…"

"That day, I realized for the first time that I could help people regardless of lacking a substantial body. You gave me the first hope I'd experienced since before my time as Pharaoh."

"And that brings me to my second story. This is something I've never told anyone, because I did not feel it was necessary. This is a story of my past."

()()()()

Do I have to say it? NO! But will I say it again?

Sigh.

Of course! REVIEW!!!!!


	6. Ch 6

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Ch. 6

"I was born in the darkest room of the palace, the birthing room. No windows and only one small door. The heat in there was insufferable, but of course I didn't find that out until much later. 

"My mother was common, a little known fact that my father went to great lengths to keep quiet. I don't know her name. She died giving birth to myself and my brother, who died in infancy. My father's heart was broken for the last time when my mother died, and after her passing he became cold and tyrannical. The people later told me that my father's change was taken by some to be a sign for the beginning of the Apocalypse. I laugh now, but to them it was literally the end of the world.

"The poorest died within a month, for my father closed the bread-and-gruel stations and even taxed the public fountains. The slums became death traps, and were soon destroyed because of the disease and villany they housed. The markets became more and more deserted, and more and more merchants fell out of work as the people became poorer. Some even had the audacity to carve upon their tombstones, 'Taxed to Death'. But in a way they were right, for my father grew colder and greedier with each family he taxed to starvation.

"I still remember the way they cheered when my father's death was announced one bitterly cold winter's morn. I was seven at the time but not in anyway innocent like a child of that age should be. I had seen all, and I knew enough. I began to rule within five days of my father's demise. I was nowhere near the harsh tyrant he had been, but I was still considered heartless by those who still remembered times before my mother's death.

"Upon my ninth birthday, I went through the ceremonies to become a sorceror. I took part in my first shadow game on that day, and it is with great pride that I say that five great sorcerors now reside in the shadow realm because of my ascencion tests. Apparently I pleased my tutors, for they continued to wage shadow games against me until only one of them remained. On the day I was to duel him, he took me aside.

"He told me of a monster so powerful none would dare to approach its tablet. This monster had previously obeyed only my father, and were I to try and control it, it would most assuredly rip me apart.

"Taking this as a challenge, I stole into the tablet storage room one night and stood before the great carving of the Dark Magician. 

"I didn't have to exert my will or even call upon him. The Dark Magician sensed my presence and came forth to bow at my feet. I raised him up and he stood tall before me, and I swore that we would defeat all those who would stand against us. That we would defeat them together. And from that day on, I never lost a shadow game.

"One evening in my seventeeth winter, the most powerful of the dark sorcerors came forward to challenge me. I met his challenge, but in order to restore the balance in this temporal realm I was made to seal my soul within a golden Millennium Item. The other six stole souls from unsuspecting vessels and imprisoned them as well. Thus I lay, asleep but never dreaming, for five long millennia. 

"Imagine my surprise and delight when you solved the puzzle. Suddenly, I was no longer trapped within a dark soul room, but seeing light and tasting air again. Granted, the air stank of chemicals and the light burned my eyes, but they were still sensations I'd been too long without.

"You helped me become human again, Yugi. And for that I am utmostfully grateful."

Yugi blinked. Then blinked again. 

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.

Yugi snagged it on the fourth ring. It was Mary Retger.

"Well are you coming or not? I hate to nag, Yugi, but this stuff can only be good for so long before I have to nuke it in the microwave, and then it'll taste all wrong."

"I'm coming, Mary," Yugi assured, standing. "Just let me grab my coat and keys and I'll walk down."

"Good," she laughed. "Even though it's only three blocks, the fresh air will do you good."

Yugi brought the letter with him to read in the dimming light of the fading sunset.

()()()()

Okay, should I have to say it again? NO! But will I?

Sigh.

Of course! Review!!!!!


	7. Ch 7

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Ch. 7

"Now comes the part of this letter that will be the hardest for me to write."

__

So now maybe after all these years

If you miss me, have no fear

I'll be here, I'll be waiting

Yami found out during Elaina's lunch period what exactly a 'crush' was. Apparently, Elaina was besotted with a young man on the varsity crew team. His name was Mark. 

Elaina was afraid to even look at him.

Yami, however, had no such qualms. He decided that, in order to help his hikari, that he'd go over and talk to Mark. Emili nearly talked him out of it, but one mental look at Elaina's hopeful face and his nerves were steeled.

Five steps from Mark's table, Yami remembered his letter to Yugi. He remembered the fated confession he'd written in that letter. 

Yami mentally smacked himself. _Too much love all at once._ He leaned against the wall and closed Elaina's eyes, willing himself into his soul room and then walking across the hall to his hikari's room. She turned.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "I'm at school!"

"I don't think I can do this for you," Yami said. "This is something you need to do on your own."

"No, I don't," Elaina sighed. "Don't you remember, I'm part of that stupid foreign exchange student program. We're going to Japan."

Yami's eyes widened. "When?"

"Tomorrow."

__

This could be the one last chance to make you understand

And I just can't let you beat me once again

"Yugi… I can't forget you. I cannot be rid of a single curséd memory. And for that I am slightly grateful, because that means I will never forget your beautiful face, or the way you laughed at Joey's antics, or your sweet voice. I can't begin to tell you how I've missed you, all these years of being alone once more, and even when Elaina solved the puzzle… I still feel like a part of me is gone forever. 

"Aibou, I… I do not know how to say this, except for in the simplest words possible: I love you. I always have, I was just too caught up in chasing destiny to notice that it was right in front of me. Destiny brought us together, and it was nothing but my foolish pride that tore us apart."

Yugi stopped walking, his tears falling swiftly to join the crushed leaves on the asphalt. His mind replayed the day he and Yami had been torn apart, and the memories just made the tears fall faster.

__

"You shouldn't go in there, Yami, it's too dangerous." 

Yugi's lower lip stuck out slightly as he bit it in concern. Yami didn't seem to notice his hikari; his back was turned to Yugi as he studied the hieroglphics on the crypt wall. 

"My destiny has led me this far, aibou. I should think it would be in my best interest to enter."

"Yami, I'm telling you it's too dangerous! Won't you even look at me, much less listen to me?!"

Yami whirled around and drew back slightly at the sight of his hikari, fists clenched and tears welling in large amethyst eyes.

"Yugi," he began gently, but Yugi struck at his calming hand. 

"No!" The boy yelled, shaking the walls of the crypt. "You don't listen to me! You never listen! That night when Marik almost killed us— I knew he was there and what he was planning! You remember, I was right! But your stupid destiny clouded your judgement and I almost lost you!"

Tears were flowing freely from Yugi's eyes now. Yami was taken aback. But instead of understanding, he began to feel angry.

"Stupid destiny? Stupid? How would you feel if you remembered nothing of your past, and were still expected to fight against a force more powerful than you could ever imagine?! How would you feel if history was repeating itself but you didn't know what was going to happen?! How would you feel if your heart was broken because the one you cared about most didn't believe you?!"

Yami's tears joined Yugi's on the dusty floor. The young game king was shaking. 

Yugi was afraid but too emotional to care. "But does destiny give you the right to endanger the lives of those closest to you, those who just want to help you?"

Yami was growing as hysterical as Yugi looked. Not angry anymore, he was feeling helpless. Broken in spirit, he sagged. "No," he whispered.

Then before Yugi could act, the Millennium puzzle flew off his chest and smashed against the far wall. Its pieces, glowing, disappeared.

Yugi was too shocked to move. 

Was that Yami's way of committing suicide?

()()()()

Gasp... don't kill me...

But please, please review...


	8. Ch 8

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Ch. 8 

Yami helped Elaina pack her things from her room on the ranch. 

"When did we sign up for a foreign exchange program?" he asked as he folded clothes.

Elaina shrugged. "I think it was something the 'rents did and conveniently forgot to tell me about." She brightened a little. "Hey, you can help me talk, my Japanese is little to none."

Yami chuckled a little at that, but as he folded shirts and jeans his mind was elsewhere. They would be arriving the day Yugi would receive the letter. Which would mean that if Yami tried to contact him, it would be right after Yugi received the shock.

"Relax," Elaina said a touch crossly, guessing correctly at what bothered her yami. "I'm sure he'll be pleased."

_Pleased? I just hope he doesn't feel like strangling me,_ Yami thought nervously. _I think I waited too long…_

__

I'd do anything just to hold you in my arms

to try to make you laugh

'cause somehow I can't put you in the past

I'd do anything just to fall asleep with you

Will you remember me

Because I know I won't forget you

Yugi made it to Ms. Retger's in a state of shock. Mary didn't try to understand; she simply clucked sympatheically as she ushered him inside and placed his plate before him. The man set about eating as a robot might, cutting and chewing mechanically. Mary Retger sat silently across from him, balancing her checkbook through a pair of calico spectacles. Occasionally Yugi would feel her eyes upon him, but didn't trust himself to speak.

It wasn't Yami's initial confession that had shocked him so, it was the last paragraph of the letter.

"My little aibou… not so little, now. I apologize from the depths of my very being for all the hurt I caused you those years ago. You did not deserve to be treated that way. I see now my wrongs, and I can only hope that my regret can be great enough to patch the rift between us. 

"Yugi, I still care for you deeply. If you could find it in your heart to forgive me for the heartless fool I've been, then I would be the happiest man alive. You couldn't possibly imagine the joy felt every time I heard you speak my name back then. If only… if only I could hear you speak to me one more time.

"Yours sincerely, _Yami_."

Yami lay awake within his darkened soul room, staring at the elusive ceiling and lost in thought. 

I close my eyes

And all I see is you

I close my eyes

I try to sleep; I can't forget you

Na na na, na na na

I'd do anything for you

Na na na, na na na na

Visions of Yugi danced behind the young Pharaoh's closed eyes. He didn't know what Yugi would look like now, and was almost afraid to find out. 

_What if I don't recognize him? Even if he still has that hair…_ Yami chuckled at that. Then his smile fell as his worries returned. _We fly over tomorrow. I don't think I'm ready for this… wait. Get a grip on yourself, Yami,_ he chided himself sternly. _No one said you'd be seeing Yugi tomorrow. You have six weeks over there. No one said you couldn't take your time._

With that, he rolled over, at last content to sleep.

His dreams were of his aibou.

In his sleep, Yami smiled.

()()()()

Aww... review! See, I figure if I keep nagging you, you might actually listen!!!


	9. Ch 9

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Ch. 9

"Flight 93 to Tokyo, now boarding."

Elaina squared her shoulders and waved goodbye to her parents, who were standing back at the purchase desk. They waved back, and she boarded the jet in silence. 

Once in her seat, she closed her eyes and willed herself into her soul room. She hurried across the hall to find Yami's essence still in bed.

"Wake up, you lazy bum!" she laughed, pouncing on the blanket-swathed form. Yami let out a sleepy yell when she landed on his chest, and stuck his tongue out at her when she pulled the sheets off his head.

"This is no time for you to be sleeping," she scolded, wagging a finger at him from her perch. He tried in vain to push her off but only succeeded in exhausting himself. She laughed all the harder at his efforts.

"You… hahaha… should be, heh, teaching me how to speak this poetic language of yours!"

"It's not my language," Yami grumbled, but pushed her off and got up anyway. He had never flown in an airplane before.

Several hours and two bags of peanuts later, Elaina/Yami disembarked in Japan. Yami took over and strode down the gangplank, breathing in the familiar scent of cherry blossoms. He found himself smiling as the exchange student program leader hurried over.

"Konnichi wa," he greeted her to her surprise, and bowed. "Ii otenki desu, ne?"

"It is a very nice day," she agreed in English. "Welcome to Japan, Elaina-chan. Did you find the accommodations agreeable?"

"Oh, yes, of course," 'Elaina' said, smiling profusely. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, you must think me rude. My name is Mary Retger. I'm normally an English teacher at the nearby Domino Highschool. The other co-leader took ill and called me this morning, nearly frantic, asking me to please meet you at the gate." Mary smiled warmly. 

Yami nodded, letting his eyes wander around the courtyard where they were now standing. The cars around them beeped and buzzed, and Yami was beginning to feel at home.

"Well, I'd better get you to your dorm. I arranged for you to live on the highschool campus with some of the other girls. Will that be all right?"

Elaina took control. "Yes, of course, Retger-san."

The woman tittered. "Please, call me Mary."

(Okay, time is messed up in this fic, as I mentioned earlier. The two are now caught up and time is flowing normally)

That night, Elaina made herself at home with the five other girls in the dorm at Domino High. Yami took control after the girls left for a party that Elaina had declined, and sat on the window seat. He stared out the wide window into the navy velvet star-studded sky. He sighed.

"Yugi invading your thoughts?" Elaina asked, appearing beside him in the ghostly form only he could see.

Yami sighed again. "You read me like an open book."

"If we didn't share my body, it would be harder."

Yami giggled. "How did you ever get used to me?"

"I don't think I have."

Yami turned to his hikari and saw her slightly sad look. "What is it, aibou?"

"It's just, you can't forget your last hikari. I feel like I'm fighting for and losing you. It's not fair!" She stamped a translucent foot. "Why can't you just move on? But of course, you're in love, and love doesn't fade readily or quickly."

Yami stared. "Elaina, you spanned your whole life in those sentences."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You went from the mentality of a child to the maturity of an adult. It was interesting."

She shrugged. "I try. Hey, why don't we go find him?"

Yami glanced at her sharply, startled. "How do we find him? It's been so many years… how do I know he even lives in Japan?"

"You're a terrible liar." Yami glared at her. "How else did you send him a letter? You know his address."

"But not how to get there."

"Call Ms. Retger, I'll bet she knows him."

"How are you so sure?"

Elaina flipped him a smug grin. "Didn't you hear her? She knows _everybody_."

Yami closed his eyes, allowing her to take control.

()()()()

Okay, if you haven't reviewed by now, you are... late? I dunno. I'll stop bugging you now tho'.


	10. Ch 10

****

I'd Do Anything

__

by Kestrel

Ch. 10

Mary Retger put down the phone and smiled across the table at Yugi. He looked up in surprise. "Who was that?"

"A new exchange student was looking for you, and I told her you were here. She's coming over."

A bemused expression spread across Yugi's face. "You're going to let this be her first impression of me?"

Mary's eyes roamed what of his body she could see, and twinkled when they came to his own amethyst eyes. 

"Kiss your napkin, Mr. Moto, you have sauce on your face."

Yugi laughed, glad for some comic relief. He tucked his letter in his back pocket.

The doorbell rang, and both chairs scraped the floor as both Yugi and Mary stood to answer it. Their eyes met across the table.

Elaina stood outside the door. She heard the chairs scrape and the footsteps coming nearer.

_May I?_ Yami asked silently.

She consented, even though she was afraid of what would happen next.

Yugi reached the door first, panting from his and Mary's race, and flung it open.

Yami's startled eyes met Yugi's amethyst own, and the recognition in them made Yugi stumble back a bit. Mary held him up from behind. 

A bit awkwardly, Yugi pushed his glasses up on to his head and stuck out his hand. "Er… I'm Yugi Moto, the other English teacher at Domino High."

'Elaina' recovered her composure and shook the hand. "I am Elaina Sparks. I'm the foreign exchange student from America."

"Please come in, child," Mary said, peeking over Yugi's shoulder.

Yami forced Elaina's legs to move, even though he was still frozen. Yugi had grown, and they stood nearly eye to eye. Elaina was a bit shorter than the English teacher. 

_Hey,_ Elaina thought, _he's pretty cute… for an English teacher. That's Yugi, then?_

_Yes_, Yami answered. _That is Yugi. That is my aibou_.

He couldn't stand it any longer.

"Yugi?" He asked. His voice was shy. Yugi's head, bent over clearing the table, snapped up at the tone.

He shot a glance at Mary, who swiftly left the room.

Yugi came within a foot of Yami. Elaina's eyes were mahogany and filling with tears as Yami beheld his aibou.

Yugi cleared his throat. "Y-Yami?" he choked.

"Yes, aibou." 

Yugi moved as if to embrace 'Elaina', and stopped. "I feel silly," he murmured.

Elaina took control. "Here, Mr. Moto. I know how much this means to Yami, and how much it must mean to you."

She held out the Millennium puzzle.

"Not to keep, dear girl!" Yugi gasped.

Elaina shrugged. "Why not?"

"The puzzle has come to you. I cannot, will not, take it from you."

She smiled softly. "But Yami will always be a broken… whatever… without you. He's missing a piece of his soul, Mr. Moto, and only you can complete him."

Tears glistened in the eyes of both as Yugi slipped the worn cord around his neck. 

Yami suddenly appeared next to him, in a tangible form such as he had only ever been able to achieve when bonded to Yugi. Smiling, he embraced his aibou.

Tears ran down the cheeks of both men.

Mary Retger stepped forward and placed her hands on Elaina's shoulders; both women smiled.

__

I'd do anything just to hold you in my arms

Later, when he tried to tell Elaina, Yami found he had no words to express how he felt. Yugi, asleep in the next room, smiled as his dreams became content for the first time in years. For the first time since their separation, Yugi slept soundly.

__

To try to make you laugh

'cause somehow I can't put you in the past

Yami was glad, then, that he'd taken his hikari's advice and written to Yugi. For all of his trepidations, things had turned out better than he ever could have imagined.

__

I'd do anything just to fall asleep with you

To fall asleep with you

With you

yeah

In the twilight of the darkened room, Yami held his aibou close. The sleeping man whimpered; Yami held him still tighter to chase away the demons that dared haunt _his_ Yugi. And laying there in the dark, Yami felt a peace come over him. 

He felt content. He felt secure. He felt complete.

I'd do anything to fall asleep with you

I'd do anything, there's nothing I won't do

I'd do anything to fall asleep with you

I'd do anything 'cause I know I won't forget you

()()()()

KAWAIIII!!!!

Okay, I know I said I wouldn't bug you, but ya gotta tell me what you thought of the whole thing!!!

REVIEW!!!! And God bless minna-san!! (that's everyone, for the Japanese illiterate.)


End file.
